Tubular postal dispatching station



April 8, 1930. w; HOHNE 1,753,988

TUBULAR POST'AL DISPATCHING STATION Filed Jan. '51, 1929 mm: eyd/ f atentecl Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED. STATES PATENT *OFFICE WILHELM HGHNE, BERLIN-CHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY ASSIGN'QR T DEUTSCHE TELEPHONWERKE UND KABELINDUSTRIE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, 'OF BERLIN,

GERMANY v TUBULAR POSTAL DISPATCI-IING STATION Application filed January 31, 1929, Serial No. 336,539, and in Germany February 2, 1927.

In tubular postal systems, particularly those with alternate operation, it was hither into the transmitting tube could slide with certainty through the transmitting tube into the conveying tube, in which it was actuated by the actuating stream of air. On its passage through the transmitting tube the container first meets a resistance due to the friction with the walls of the tube and then also by reason of the fact that at the same time the actuating air from the conveying tube acts in the opposite direction thereto. If the container is too light in weight it may consequently occur, and it has been observed that the container was wedged in the transmission tube or in any case was delayed in transmission. This wedging frequently occurred directly below the transmission flap.

The subject of the present invention is an arrangement by which this wedging of the container is prevented. For this purpose the actuating air from the blower is not only conducted in the usual manner to the conveying tube, in tubular postal systems with alternate operation in the Vicinity of the receiving chamber, but also through a valve into the transmitting tube above the container which has been introduced so as to impart? movement to the latter bymeans of the actuating air and thus to force it into the transmitting tube.

The supply of actuating air to the transmitting tube may be. effected either by hand or automatically dependently upon the opening and closing of the transmitting tube. The simplest form of constructionis one in which when the transmission flap is open, the air is cut off from the space above a container which has just been introduced, but when the flap is closed, air is admitted to this space. In order to efl'ect a regular introduction of the container and to'efi'ect the transmission thereof by means of the actuating air, the transmission tube, in accordance with the invention, is provided with a transmission chamber into which the container to be dispatched is placed and from which it is forced into the transmission tube by opening the supply ofactuating air after opening the lower closure of the chamber.

When providing a transmission chamber the inlet of actuating air to the conveying tube is preferably placed directly underneath the lower closure member of the transmission chamber as, if it were placed in a lower positron, a counter pressure of the actuating air against the container would again be set up. The transmission chamber formed in this manner is a kind of sluice, which has the advantage, that it permitsof the insertion and dispatch of further containers without withdrawing the actuating air from the container already disposed-in the tube. In order to relieve the transmission flap from the pressure of the actuating air, the transmission chamber may also be provided with an upper closure which is moved oppositely to the lower closure. The closure members of the transmission chamber (slide or flap) may be ac- Euated automatically by the transmission In order to effect an automatic change over from suction to pressure, as is usual, in alternate operation, but without causing the transmission fiap, which must already, in accordance with the invention, efiect the change over of the actuating air, to perform further work, the common pipe extending from the blower, in accordance; with the invention, is at one end connected by a branch pipe, pro vided with a non-return valve, to the transmission pipe or to the change-over valve for the actuating air, and at the other end by a branch pipe, provided with. a non-return valve, to the receiving chaniber of the station. The non-return valves are so arranged that they only allow actuating air to pass to the transmitting tube and suction air only to the receiving chamber.

One formof constructon of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 isa diagrammatic showing of a sys tem which embodies the present invention.

Fig. 2 is adetail view of one of the sending stations. I

" Fig. 3 is a detail View of the connection between the flap and the valve. 'Figure 1 shows two. points of a tubular postal system which are connected together by a conveyin tube F and which operate with a reversing (rive. At each point the pipe Z, leading from the blower, is connected in the usual manner by a pipe 6 to the receiving sluice E but at the point of unction of the pipes zand b a nonreturn valve R8 is so arranged that it only allows suction air toenter the pipe-Z2. The receiving sluice E is provided with closing slides s s actuated by the feelers f f by the oncoming container, these slides being enclosed in chambers A9,

A pipe a,which is also provided with a nonreturn valve Rt, leads from the blower pipe Z to a'ehamber K, and in this chamber the pipe a is connected b'ymeans of a reversing valve V and two" branch pipes to the transm'itti'ng chamber d of the transmitting tube S, as shown to'a 'larger scale in Figure 2.

The-transmitting tube S is closed at the top 'by'a' transmitting flap S7: movable on a hinge g. 'The flap *actuates, by means of an eccentric'h, provided with a slot 2', a rod m, longitudinally movable in the bearings n at the side-of the transmission chamber d. Levers p with pivoted'flap's o and o are rotatably mounted on the chamber (Z on pivots 0 in-sucha manner that the flaps c '0 may be inserted-as sl-iders into corresponding gaps to, ta ofthetransmitting'tube. This insertion is effected alternately by the rod m \vhichsuitably cooperates with the projectionsg 'of the lovers by projections there on. Figure 2'shows the position of the sliders "0 o "wh'en the transmission flap S7: is closed. In this position 1 the transmission chamber at is open at the bottom, closed at the top andthe valve V is insuch a position that the-'actuating' air"frointhe pipe at can enter through the upper branch "pipe a into the transmission chamberd above the container n'ot shown) previously introduced.

The oontainer 'is then forced out of the chamber (Z by the actuating air and conveyed into "the transmission tube S from which the container passes through the conveying tube F'to the receiving point.

Thechange over of the valve V for this pu'rposeiseffected automatically, in-a mannershown in Fig. '3, when closingthe transmission flap S70. The pivoted lever 1* has pin and-slot'connectionswith the rod on and the valve V, in such a way that downward movement of the'rod raises the valve to close the upper branch tube and vice versa. When opening the flap Sic the valve V is moved into such a position that the'actuating air from the pipe a passes into the lower branch pipe a and consequently under the slider 11 which in the mean'timehas been moved into the gap 'w by the downward movement of the'rod m. In this pos'it'ionof the transmitter the upper slider "22 hasbeen withdrawn from the gap 10 and a fresh container can now be placed into the chamber d. When closing the flap Sic the lower slider 12 is withdrawn, the upper one brought into the closing position and the valve V changed over so that the actuating air from the pipe a now passes through the upper branch pipe a again behind the container and causes this to be dispatched in the manner hereinbefore described.

Instead of the flap Sic-any other member (a hand-wheel and the like) may be provided for changing over the valve V and the sliders '0 w in such a case the flap may be entirely omitted.

I claim:

1. lna' tubular"postal-system the'combination withai conveying tube *ofa' transmitting chamber located oppositeone end of said conveying tube, a closure member for closing the end oi said transmitting chamber adjacent the convey-ing tube, a closure member adapted to close the otherend of *saidtransmitting chamber, means for 'actuating said closure members so that when one is in the open position the other is in the closed positiomand means for supplyingan actuating fluid to said transmitting chamberan'd tosaid conveying tube, anda closed chamber in-which the transmitting"chamber and the adjacent end of the" conveying tube are located.

2. In a tubular postal system the'combination with a conveying-tubehaving one end thereof arran ed vertically, of a closed chamber receiving the open end of the vertical portion of said conveying tube, atransmitting chamberarranged vertically above the open end of said'conve'ying tubeand spaced therefrom, a closure member adapted to en- 'gage said space so as to'close the open end of saidconveying tubeand the lower-end of said transmitting chamber, 1 a closure member adapted-to close the upper end of said transmitting chamber, a feed-ing funnel leading into the upper end of the closed chamber and terminating a'bove theupper end of the transmitting chamber, a closing'flap over said feeding funnel, a fluid supply pipe leading into said closed chamber, two branch pipes leading-from the saidfluid supplypipe, one of said branches leading to the upper endat said transmitting chamber and thesecond branch pipe'leading i'O'SZIltl conveying tube, a valve'between said lluid supply pipe and branches and adapted to alternately'connect said branches to said fluid supply pipe,'and means actuated by'said flap for moving one of the closure'inembersinto the closed position shortly before it moves the other closure member into the open position.

8. Ina tubular postal system the combination with a conveying t'ube"having one end thereoi arrangedvertically of a closed chamber receiving'the openendofthe vertical portion of said conveying tube, a transmitting chainber "arranged vertically above the i into said closed chamber, two branch pipes leading from the said fluid supply pipe, one of said branches leading to the upper end of said transmitting chamber and the second branch pipe leading to said conveying tube, a valve between said fluid supply pipe and said branches and adapted to alternately connect said branches to said fluid supply pipe, and means actuated by said flap for moving one of the closure members into the closed position shortly before it moves the other closure member into the open position, said means including a plate having an eccentric slot therein L and secured to said flap, a vertically sliding rod engaging at its upper end with said eccentric slot, pivotally mounted levers connected to said closure members, projections on said levers, and spaced projections on said rod for cooperation with the projections on the levers. V

4. In a tubular postal system, a tube, a fluid supply pipe, branch pipes leading from said fluid supply pipe to spaced points on 4 said tube adjacent one end thereof, a valve between said fluid supply pipe and said branch pipes adapted to connect said branch pipes alternately to said fluid supply pipe, a flap on the end of said tube, and means whereby the opening and closing of said flap actuates said valve.

5. In a tubular postal system, a tube, a pair of gates near one end of said tube, said gates being adapted to open and close alternately, a flap on the end of said tube, and means whereby the movement of said flap actuates said gates.

6. In a tubular postal system, a tube, a pair of gates near one end of said tube, means whereby the opening of one of said gates closes the other of said gates, a flap on the end of said tube, and means whereby the opening of said flap opens one of said gates while the closing of said flap opens the other of said gates.

7. In a tubular postal system, a tube, a pair of gates near one end of said tube, means whereby the opening of one of said gates closes the other of said gates, a flap on the end of said tube, means for'supplying air to points in said tube adjacent each of said gates on the sides opposite said flap, means whereby the opening of said flap opens the gate nearest said flap and admits air to said 7 tube at a point adjacent the gate farthest from said flap, while the closing of said flap opens the gate farthest from said flap and admits air to said tube at a point adjacent to the gate nearest said flap.

8. In a tubular postal system, the combination with a conveying tube of a transmitting chamber located opposite the end of saidconveying tube, a feeding funnel in alignment with the end of said transmitting chamber opposite to said tube, a closure member adapted to close said transmitting chamber at one end, a second closure member adapted to close said transmitting chamber at the other end, a flap on said funnel and means whereby the opening of said flap closes said first named closure member and opens said second named closure member, while the closing of said flap opens said first named closure member and closes said second named closure member.

9. In a tubular postal system the combination with a conveying tube of a transmitting chamber located opposite the end of said conveying tube, a feeding funnel in alignment with the end of said transmitting chamber opposite to said tube, a closure member adapted to close said transmitting chamber at one end, a second closure member adapted to close said transmitting chamber at the other end, a fluid supply pipe, a branch pipe leading from said fluid supply pipe to the end of said tube, a second branch pipe leading from said fluid supply pipe to the end of said transmitting chamber adjacent said funnel, a valve between said fluid supply pipe and said branch pipes adapted to connect said branch pipes alternately to said fluid supply pipe, a flap on said funnel, and means whereby the opening of said flap closes said first named closure member and openssaid second named closure member and connects said fluid supply pipe with said first named branch pipe, while the closing of said flap opens said first named closure member and closes said second named closure member and connects said fluid supply pipe with said second named branch pipe.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WILHELM 110mm. 

